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cut -d -f: pull columns from delimited files

Extract CSV fields or colon-separated values on Linux with cut -d, plus character ranges with -c.

LinuxtextcsvcutLow risk
Run cut -d, -f1,3 FILE for comma-delimited fields, or cut -c1-8 FILE to keep the first 8 characters of every line.

01Command

Command
$ cut -d, -f1,3 data.csv && cut -d: -f1 /etc/passwd

02What it does

cut is the lightweight sibling of awk for fixed-delimiter data: -d sets the single-character separator, -f takes a comma-separated field list and even ranges (-f2-4,7), and -c/-b slice by position instead of field. It is a one-purpose tool — far faster to type than an awk program — but remembers its limits: unlike awk, it cannot skip repeated separators, so consecutive commas count as an empty field.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
!Warning: cut -d only accepts a single character; multi-character delimiters require awk or sed.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • cut(1P) — POSIX manual page
    man7.org · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: POSIX defines -d, -f, -c and -b selection semantics
  • cut(1) — Arch Linux manual
    Arch Linux · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: -d delim sets the field delimiter, -f selects fields, -c/-b select character/byte ranges

Last verified: 2026-09-17 · Category: Files & Folders

06Related solutions

Create and Apply Patches with diff -u and patch
Linuxdiffpatchtext

Generate a unified diff between two files, apply it to another copy with patch, and reverse it with patch -R.

Low risk ✓ 2026-09-17